The Upanishads were taught in forest hermitages. It’s not because the Rishis were afraid to live in cities but an atmosphere conducive to the understanding of scriptures is more available some distance away from the mad rush of civilisation.
So, the Upanishads were taught in the forest hermitages, in the ambience of lovely woods and mountains and rivers.
The Upanishads are also called Vedanta because they come at the end of the Vedas: ‘Veda’, ‘anta,’ that is one view.
The other view is that if you have studied the Upanishads, it means you have finished the study of all the Vedas; therefore, it’s Vedanta, meaning the end of the Vedas.
One view is factual and the other philosophical.
Well, in a deeper sense, it means that when you have understood the Upanishads, you have understood everything, which means you have gone to the source of your being and, therefore, to the source of the entire universe.
And, therefore, you have discovered that deep stillness that is full of abundant energy and you are overflowing with this energy. Not a debilitated, weak, meek, powerless person, but a strong, brave, open mind which is like the fire ready to burn down ignorance of any kind.
Now, let’s study the word Upanishad, what does the word Upanishad mean? The word Upanishad has been divided into three parts—‘Upa’, ‘ni’ and ‘shad’.
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